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Iranian authorities have executed three Kurdish political prisoners, Ramin Hossein Panahi, Zaniar and Loghman Moradi, despite overwhelming popular and international efforts to stay the scheduled executions.

The state-run Fars News agency, affiliated to the Revolutionary Guards, reported the three prisoners were hanged early on September 8.

Ramin Hossein Panahi, who was sentenced to death on 16 January this year, sewed his lips together and started a hunger strike on 26 August in protest at his death sentence and ill-treatment.

Zaniar and Loghman Moradi had been sentenced to death by public hanging based on forced confessions extracted under torture by the Iranian regime in December 2010.

They were moved from the general ward of Raja’i Shahr prison in the city of Karaj, north-west of Tehran, to solitary confinement cells in the same prison on 5 September.

Amnesty International previously issued a statement, calling on Iranian authorities to immediately halt the planned executions of the Iranian ethnic minority Kurds.

“We urge the Iranian authorities to immediately halt any plans to execute these men, to quash their convictions and sentences, and to order a new trial in proceedings that are in line with international fair trial standards. They must also investigate their torture claims and bring anyone found responsible to justice,” Amnesty International said.

Two independent United Nations human rights experts, called on the Iranian Government to halt the execution of three prisoners from the Kurdish community.

“We urge the Government of Iran to immediately halt their executions and to annul the death sentences against them in compliance with its international obligations,” said Agnes Callamard and Javaid Rehman, Special Rapporteurs on arbitrary executions and on the human rights situation in the country, respectively.